LAHORE: The local pharmaceutical companies have accused the Drug Regulatory Authority Pakistan (DRAP) of increasing prices of essential medicines by six multinational companies.
“We oppose such act of pharmaceutical companies. But it is DRAP that has created such a situation. This is not new as the same happened in 2012,” said Amjad Ali Jawa, ex-Chairman Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association.
“These six companies used the same tactics adopted by some firms in 2012. Now these companies will continue to market medicines at revised rate as mater was in the court of law. The poor masses are the ultimate sufferers of inability and inefficiency of few officials in the DRAP,” he added.
The DRAP should formulate uniform price list to check blackmailing of multinational companies, Mr Jawa urged. “Realistic evaluation of drug prices should be carried out on annual basis while taking all stakeholders on board. This will help avoiding such a situation in future,” he further said.
He also highlighted that the prevailing scenario could have been avoided if the DRPA had reacted timely to the repeated requests of pharmaceutical companies. “If they (DRAP officials) have listened to the pharmaceutical companies, they would not have made such unrealistic increase in drug prices.
